Crafty thieves wipe out Radio Shack

Police are searching for at least two suspects who broke into
Radio Shack Tuesday morning by cutting a hole in the wall of the
store, shimmying under the store’s motion sensors and stealing
upwards of $7,000 in merchandise and cash.
Hollister – Police are searching for at least two suspects who broke into Radio Shack Tuesday morning by cutting a hole in the wall of the store, shimmying under the store’s motion sensors and stealing upwards of $7,000 in merchandise and cash.

Around 3am Tuesday, at least two suspects broke into a storage shed directly behind the store on Tres Pinos Road where brooms and other cleaning supplies are stored, according to owner Gilbert Perez.

They then used a hack saw-like tool to cut a 2-foot square hole in the sheet rock wall of the store to gain access, Perez said.

“They were very smart,” Perez said. “They were here for at least two hours.”

The suspects ransacked the store, stealing about $4,000 worth of cell phones, DVDs and video and digital cameras, as well as a safe containing approximately $2,500 in cash, Perez said.

Although Perez insists no one who works for him could have been involved in the burglary, he said whoever pulled off the heist would have had intimate knowledge of the type of tools needed to cut through the wall. They would also have had to know how to maneuver through the store without triggering the alarm.

Although Perez said the store is equipped with surveillance cameras, he did not know whether the suspects were caught on tape or if they left any evidence that would identify them.

Hollister Police spokesman George Ramirez said detectives are in possession of the tapes, but did not know at press time if the tapes will provide any clue to the thieves’ identities. Police also dusted for prints at scene, Ramirez said.

“Unfortunately everything is so up in the air,” Perez said. “It’s an ongoing investigation and I hope they’re found.”

Perez, who has owned the store for 30 years, said he’s never had a break-in of this scale. He was also leery of giving out too many details because the Community Bank of Central California is located right next door to Radio Shack and the businesses share a wall.

Tuesday he called an alarm company to install the latest alarm system, one which detects body heat.

“It takes somebody pretty ingenious to fool the alarms if they know how to do it,” he said. “That’s why we had to jump ahead of them and put in a better detection system.”

Anyone with information about the burglary should contact Detective Rudy Rodriguez at the Hollister Police Department at 636-4330.

Erin Musgrave covers public safety for the Free Lance. Reach her at 637-5566, ext. 336 or [email protected]